Antiskid device



.R. J. BURKHART Nov. 2, 1948.

' ANTISKID DEVICE Filed Nov. so, 1946 llllllllllllll H I ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 2, 1948 V TED PATENT OFFICE DEVICE Robert J.. Burkhar ttNiitleyfMJ. ni li tion November 30, 19.46, 'zseriali No; 7133207'2QClaims. l

'1 .lThi'S inveni iion re1ateS toiniprottements in anti- .slip devicesror' mudi hooks.-for.%detachable 3application to automobile wheels.

. The invention-has -for an object toeprovide a novel construction "of:anti-skid device c1" mud hookior the' stated use which is providedwithaUeshapedrigid tread plateadapted--to:-substa-n- .tially conform to.thecross-sectional contour of an external peripheral portion ofan-aut'omobile wheel :tire; and which is -of substantial "width wherebyto provide. avconsiderab'le area of'surv face contact with the-tire,said treadplate being provided with a 1 plurality of laterally spaced,replaceable anti-slip elements which are detachabl-y seeuredthereto .forextension over vi-the external .faceoi the treadplate.

.The invention has for another obj ect-to provide non-chafing-rmeans for:detachably securing the tread plate with its anti-slip elementsto-theauto- .mobile -wheel andtire saidrmeansdncluding a fas--tening-connection for coupling meeting ended the-securing means, in amanner adapted to draw said-ends together, whereby to firmly andstrongly tighten the securing :means :in place withthe treadplate snuglyand non-eshiitinglyembracing --.-the:tire-of the automobile wheel. I

The invention has for a iurth'er-objectito pro- :videanovel form andconstruction ofireplaceable anti-slip elements for application--1to :thetread plate, :said tread plate .havingnovel .means '.-to receive andifirmly hold saidapplied anti-slipele- ;ments against lateral shiftingor displacement relative thereto.

Gther obiects of this" invention, notat this time imore particularlyenumerated, willbe understood f rom the L-following. detailed.description pf the rsame.

An illustrative embodiment of the :invention is shown-:ini the accompanying': drawings; in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevationalxview of rtheantb-slip device. or mudhOOklaS operatively applied to an automobile wheel and tire, fragmentaryportions of the latter -being shown by broken lines; and .Fig. 2 is aside. elevationalviewpf .theanti-slip device or mud hook as thusapplied.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the tread plate of the anti-slip device"or mud-hook; a'nd Fig. 4 is a side-elevational view of areplaceableanti-slip telement for attachment to said tread plate.

:Similarcharacters of referenceare employed in :the hereinabovedescribed views-to indicate reort-respondingzparts.

'=As i1lustratively shown in said drawings,;the novel anti-slip.deviceconmudhook according to this invention comprisesa"rigid,preferably metallic tread plate Ill of Uetshape, whereby :toter-.iminatet'in Lend parts H which lrespectively embrace opposite sidefaces of an automobile wheel tire T, when the tread plate is appliedacross an external peripheral portion of the latter. Said 450 age'dthrough said 2 itreadplate is'of' substantial width so as toprovideaconsiderable area of surfacecontact with the .tire, and being of.U-shape or arcuate form, said tread plate will snugly embrace the thusengaged 5 surface-of the-tire.

Extendingalon the-external face of the tread platedll, substantiallyfrom end to end thereof, are pairs oflaterally spaced externallyprojecting ribs [2-4 2.; .theribsof each pair thereof define anintermediate receiving and seating channel it. Said pairs of ribs are sorelatively disposed as to be themselves .laterally spacedone from theothernsAltheughit-is preferable to provide at leasttwosaid'pairs of ribsl2--I 2 as shown, it will be obvious thatmoreor less than two such pairsmay be provided if desired.

a Gonnected with one end portionv l I of the tread =plate lrlli'isonepart of a-separablesecuring means lby -which the tread plate can bedetachably contnectedwithan automobile wheel and tire, said .part-ofthesecuring means comprises a side wing section 1.4' of a widthsubstantially corresponding :to thewidth of the tread plate. Said sidewing section is tapered-so asto terminate in an attachwent-strap"section :of substantially reduced iwidth wherebytt'opermitits insertionthrough an \opening .or slotS in the automobile wheel W. Secured tothesfree end of said strapsection I5 is an eye-plate I6, which isarranged to extend F130 ilongitudinally therefrom. :Said eye-plate I6 is.preferab1y'.made .of metal and is secured to the strapssection end inany suitable manner, as e. g., abyi'riveting the same thereto. Saideye-plate I6 is provided. in its-free end portion with an opening 535zorteyeili'l. SSaid side wing section I4 is affixed in any'suitable'manner' toxthe tread plate end portion, contiguousto the innersurface'of the latter, *towextend therefrom. The other part of saidsefcu-ring. means comprises a like side wing section 28 ofaiwidth'fsubstantially corresponding to the :widthrorthe'tread.plate,and is affixed-in any. suit ia blesmanner'to'the'opposite end portion ofthe :lattentcontiguoumto the inner surface'thereof, so

Eastcrextenditherefrom. Said'side Wingsection l8. ilS alsocta'pered'so:as to terminate in a neckor etonguetportionlil. J Amxed to said neck ortongue -portionl-9,ias.e; g., riveting'the same thereto, is aTmetallicxcoupler plate '20 having an outwardly iproiecting eperforatecoupler lug or ear'2l. En-

lug or ear 2! is the threaded .shank 22'.of atcoupler'hook'23, whichextends l-lon'gitudinally outwardtherefromfor cooperation wi:th: said:eye plate Let the strap section l5. 'iThreadediontofsaid shanks22 is athumb-nut 24 adapted to bear against the inner or. rear vface :of

said coupler .lug .-or .ear .2 I, and Which is .manipuilatablez f or:proi e'ctingand' retracting saidrcoupling hook 23. Said side wingsections l4 and I8 are preferably made of tough and flexible butsubstantially non-extensible material, such e. g. as

textile fabric reenforced rubber sheeting, being therefore ofnon-abrasive character so as not to chafe the sides of a tire to whichthey are contiguous, when the anti-slip device or mud hook is appliedand secured in operative relation to an automobile wheel and tire.

The replaceable anti-slip elements of the antislip device or mud hookeach comprise a U-shaped metallic base strip 25 which conforms to the U-shape of the tread plate [0, and which are of a width to fit into areceiving and seating channel 13 intermediate a pair of ribs lZ--l2 ofsaid tread plate, and of a length substantially corresponding to thelength of said tread plate. Welded to the outer face of said base strip25, to extend longitudinally along the latter intermediate its endportions, and so as to be unitary with said base strip, is a section oflink chain 26, links of which include externally projecting calk-likeformations 21', whereby to increase the traction grip of said chain whenthe anti-slip device or mud hook is in use. The respective ends of saidchain 26 terminate short of the ends of the base strip 25, whereby toprovide the latter with exposed free end portions 27. Each said endportion 27 is provided with an opening or eye 28.

To removably affix the anti-slip elements to the tread plate 19, endportions ll of the latter are each provided with outwardly projectingscrewthreaded studs 29 which are respectively disposed in alignedrelation to the receiving or seating channels [3 adjacent to endsthereof, whereby to engage through the openings or eyes 28 of the basestrips 25 of said anti-slip elements which are disposed in and extendthrough said channels 13. After the base strips 25 of the anti-slipelements are thus mounted on the exterior face of the tread plate andwithin the embrace of the receiving and seating channels [3, so that thestuds 29 engage through said openings or eyes of the base strips,fastening nuts 30 are screwed onto said studs 29, whereby to secure theanti-slip elements in such operative assembled relation to the treadplate l0.

It will be apparent, that when assembled with and fixed to the treadplate in as above described, the chain and calk portions of theanti-slip elements will project from the'external face of the treadplate, and will lie transverse to the circumferential tread periphery ofthe automobile wheel tire, whereby, in use, to effect a very strongground gripping action calculated to assure positive tractional movementof the automobile wheel tire over mud, sand, snow or ice with which thesurface traversed by the latter may be encumbered.

To apply the anti-slip device or mud hook to an automobile wheel andtire, the tread plate In is engaged across and so as to embrace the tireperiphery, whereupon the strap section I of the securing means is passedoutwardly through an opening or slot S in the wheel W, so as to opposethe eye-plate IE to the coupler hook 23 of the op posite part of saidsecuring means. The coupler hook adjusting thumb-nut 24 is turnedoutwardly on the coupler hook shank 22, so as to allow the hook 23 to beextended for easy manipulation, whereby to engage the same through theeye I! of the eye -plate 16. After the hook 23 is thus engaged with theeye-plate, the thumb-nut 24 is screwed home against the lug or ear 2|,whereby to retract the coupler hook 23 and thus draw tautly together themeeting ends of the securing means, thereby contracting the-latter aboutthe wheel and tire into strongly and snugly bound relation thereto, andso as to be firmly held against shifting or chafing movement during useof the anti-slip device or mud hook.

A marked advantage of my novel construction of anti-sli device or mudhook resides in the arrangement whereby the anti-slip elements arereadily removable from the tread plate l0 merely by removing thefastening nuts 30, and detaching the ends of the base strips 25 from thestuds 29. By reason of such detachability, it will be obvious that theanti-slip elements may be easily replaced when worn by new or spareelements.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. An anti-slip device comprising a rigid U- shaped tread plate totransversely embrace the periphery of an automobile wheel tire, saidtread plate having means for securing the same to the wheel and tire,said tread plate having integral laterally spaced continuous radial ribsextending from end to end thereof to provide an intermediate receivingand seating channel, a conformably U-shaped metallic base-stripremovably seated within said channel, a ground gripping link chainhaving certain links disposed in a plane perpendicular to the surface ofsaid base-strip and welded thereto so as to be unitary therewith andalternate links disposed parallel to said basestrip, said latter linkshaving calks outwardly projecting therefrom, and cooperative meansbetween corresponding ends of said base-strip and tread plate fordetachaby securing the former to the latter.

2. An anti-slip device comprising a rigid U- shaped tread plate totransversely embrace the periphery of an automobile Wheel tire, saidtread plate having means for securing the same to the wheel and tire,said tread plate having pairs of integral laterally spaced continuousradial ribs extending from end to end thereof respectively along itsopposite side marginal portions, each pair of ribs providing a receivingand seating channel, a ground gripper means removably seated in eachsaid channel, each ground gripper means comprising a U-shaped metallicbase-strip, a ground gripping link chain having certain links disposedin a plane perpendicular to the surface of said base-strip and weldedthereto so as to be unitary therewith and alternate links disposedparallel to said base-strip, said latter links having calks outwardlyprojecting therefrom, and cooperative means between corresponding endsof said base-strip and tread plate for detachably securing the former tothe latter.

' ROBERT J BURKHART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Denmark June 7, 1927

